During early stages of limb development, the vasculature is subjected to extensive remodeling that leaves the prechondrogenic condensation avascular and, as we demonstrate hereafter, hypoxic. Numerous studies on a variety of cell types have reported that hypoxia has an inhibitory effect on cell differentiation. In order to investigate the mechanism that supports chondrocyte differentiation under hypoxic conditions, we inactivated the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1␣ (HIF1␣) in mouse limb bud mesenchyme. Developmental analysis of Hif1␣-depleted limbs revealed abnormal cartilage and joint formation in the autopod, suggesting that HIF1␣ is part of a mechanism that regulates the differentiation of hypoxic prechondrogenic cells. Dramatically reduced cartilage formation in Hif1␣-depleted micromass culture cells under hypoxia provided further support for the regulatory role of HIF1␣ in chondrogenesis. Reduced expression of Sox9, a key regulator of chondrocyte differentiation, followed by reduction of Sox6, collagen type II and aggrecan in Hif1␣-depleted limbs raised the possibility that HIF1␣ regulation of Sox9 is necessary under hypoxic conditions for differentiation of prechondrogenic cells to chondrocytes. To study this possibility, we targeted Hif1␣ expression in micromass cultures. Under hypoxic conditions, Sox9 expression was increased twofold relative to its expression in normoxic condition; this increment was lost in the Hif1␣-depleted cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated direct binding of HIF1␣ to the Sox9 promoter, thus supporting direct regulation of HIF1␣ on Sox9 expression. This work establishes for the first time HIF1␣ as a key component in the genetic program that regulates chondrogenesis by regulating Sox9 expression in hypoxic prechondrogenic cells.

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) exhibits a characteristic tubular structure that is dynamically rearranged in response to specific physiological demands. However, the mechanisms by which the ER maintains its characteristic structure are largely unknown. Here we show that the integral ER-membrane protein VAP-B causes a striking rearrangement of the ER through interaction with the Nir2 and Nir3 proteins. We provide evidence that Nir (Nir1, Nir2, and Nir3)-VAP-B interactions are mediated through the conserved FFAT (two phenylalanines (FF) in acidic tract) motif present in Nir proteins. However, each interaction affects the structural integrity of the ER differently. Whereas the Nir2-VAP-B interaction induces the formation of stacked ER membrane arrays, the Nir3-VAP-B interaction leads to a gross remodeling of the ER and the bundling of thick microtubules along the altered ER membranes. In contrast, the Nir1-VAP-B interaction has no apparent effect on ER structure. We also show that the Nir2-VAP-B interaction attenuates protein export from the ER. These results demonstrate new mechanisms for the regulation of ER structure, all of which are mediated through interaction with an identical integral ER-membrane protein. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER)1 is an extensive network of membranes comprised of an array of interconnecting tubules and cisternae that emerges from the nuclear envelope (NE) and extends peripherally throughout the cell cytoplasm (1). It contains several structurally distinct domains, including the NE, the rough and smooth ER (rER and sER), and the regions that contact other organelles, such as the Golgi apparatus, the late endosomes, the lysosomes, mitochondria, peroxisomes, and the plasma membrane (2). The ER functions in diverse metabolic processes including lipid synthesis, carbohydrate metabolism, and the detoxification of drugs. It is responsible for the synthesis, translocation, glycosylation, folding, assembly, and processing of secretory and membrane proteins, and it functions in intracellular calcium storage and sequestering (3, 4).While the function of the ER in membrane trafficking, lipid biosynthesis, and calcium signaling have been extensively studied, the mechanism by which the ER maintains its characteristic structure in vivo remains largely unknown. Studies from yeast and mammalian cells have shown that the size and/or structure of the ER is extremely sensitive to certain cellular stress conditions, such as the unfolded protein response (UPR) or to the overexpression of a subset of ERresident membrane proteins (5, 6). Overexpression of 3-hydroxymethyl-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, microsomal aldehyde dehydrogenase (msALDH), cytochrome P-450, and malfolded cytochrome P-450, causes the proliferation of ER membranes and stacking of the ER cisternae into organized structures known as crystalloid ER, sinusoidal ER, or karmellae (7-12). The formation of these structures is easily visible and can be used as a quantitative method for studying ER membrane biogenesis (5). Neverth...

The rearrangement of the Golgi apparatus during mitosis is regulated by several protein kinases, including Cdk1 and Plk1. Several peripheral Golgi proteins that dissociate from the Golgi during mitosis are implicated in regulation of cytokinesis or chromosome segregation, thereby coordinating mitotic and cytokinetic events to Golgi rearrangement. Here we show that, at the onset of mitosis, Cdk1 phosphorylates the peripheral Golgi protein Nir2 at multiple sites; of these, S382 is the most prominent. Phosphorylation of Nir2 by Cdk1 facilitates its dissociation from the Golgi apparatus, and phospho-Nir2(pS382) is localized in the cleavage furrow and midbody during cytokinesis. Mitotic phosphorylation of Nir2 is required for docking of the phospho-Ser/Thr binding module, the Polo box domain of Plk1, and overexpression of a Nir2 mutant, which fails to interact with Plk1, affects the completion of cytokinesis. These results demonstrate a mechanism for coordinating mitotic and cytokinetic events with Golgi rearrangement during cell division.

Collagen production is fundamental for the ontogeny and the phylogeny of all multicellular organisms. It depends on hydroxylation of proline residues, a reaction that uses molecular oxygen as a substrate. This dependency is expected to limit collagen production to oxygenated cells. However, during embryogenesis, cells in different tissues that develop under low oxygen levels must produce this essential protein. In this study, using the growth plate of developing bones as a model system, we identify the transcription factor hypoxia-inducible factor 1 α (HIF1α) as a central component in a mechanism that underlies collagen hydroxylation and secretion by hypoxic cells. We show that Hif1a loss of function in growth plate chondrocytes arrests the secretion of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen type II. Reduced collagen hydroxylation and endoplasmic reticulum stress induction in Hif1a-depleted cells suggests that HIF1α regulates collagen secretion by mediating its hydroxylation and consequently its folding. We demonstrate in vivo the ability of Hif1α to drive the transcription of collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylase, which catalyzes collagen hydroxylation. We also show that, concurrently, HIF1α maintains cellular levels of oxygen, most likely by controlling the expression of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1, an inhibitor of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Through this two-armed mechanism, HIF1α acts as a central regulator of collagen production that allows chondrocytes to maintain their function as professional secretory cells in the hypoxic growth plate. As hypoxic conditions occur also during pathological conditions such as cancer, our findings may promote the understanding not only of embryogenesis, but also of pathological processes.

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